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Thursday, May 10, 2012

1And
Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies,
saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went
and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and
lodged there. 2And it was told to the king of Jericho,
“Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the
land.” 3Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying,
“Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house,
for they have come to search out all the land.” 4But the
woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True,
the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5And
when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do
not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will
overtake them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof
and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on
the roof. 7So the men pursued after them on the way to the
Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the
pursuers had gone out.

8Before
the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9and
said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and
that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants
of the land melt away before you. 10For we have heard how
the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came
out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who
were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to
destruction. 11And as soon as we heard it, our hearts
melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for
the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth
beneath. 12Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that,
as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my
father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13that you will
save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who
belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14And
the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do
not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land
we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

15Then
she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was
built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16And
she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will
encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have
returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” 17The men
said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of
yours that you have made us swear. 18Behold, when we come
into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through
which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your
father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household.
19Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into
the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be
guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the
house, his blood shall be on our head. 20But if you tell
this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to
your oath that you have made us swear.” 21And she said,
“According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and
they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22They
departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until
the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way
and found nothing. 23Then the two men returned. They came
down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of
Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24And
they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into
our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away
because of us.”

1Then
Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And
they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged
there before they passed over. 2At the end of three days
the officers went through the camp 3and commanded the
people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord
your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set
out from your place and follow it. 4Yet there shall be a
distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not
come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for
you have not passed this way before.” 5Then Joshua said
to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will
do wonders among you.” 6And Joshua said to the priests,
“Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.”
So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7The
Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight
of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I
will be with you. 8And as for you, command the priests who
bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the
waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9And
Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the
words of the Lord your God.” 10And Joshua said, “Here
is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he
will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the
Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites,
and the Jebusites. 11Behold, the ark of the covenant of
the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
12Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel,
from each tribe a man.

13“And
when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the
Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the
Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and
the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

14So
when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with
the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and
as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and
the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of
the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time
of harvest), 16the waters coming down from above stood and
rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside
Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the
Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over
opposite Jericho. 17Now the priests bearing the ark of the
covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the
Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the
nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Collect

Almighty
God, grant that we who have been redeemed from the old life of sin
through Baptism into the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus
Christ, may be renewed in Your Holy Spirit and live in righteousness
and true holiness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

750 If
Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee

5 Nor
think amid the fiery trial That God hath cast thee off
unheard,That he whose hopes meet no denial Must surely be
of God preferred.Time passes and much change doth bringAnd
sets a bound to ev’rything.

6 All
are alike before the Highest; ’Tis easy for our God, we
know,To raise thee up, though low thou liest, To make the
rich man poor and low.True wonders still by Him are wroughtWho
setteth up and brings to naught.

C Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

1After
the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua
the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2“Moses my servant
is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this
people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of
Israel. 3Every place that the sole of your foot will tread
upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4From
the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the
going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5No man
shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as
I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or
forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous, for you shall
cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers
to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous, being
careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant
commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left,
that you may have good success wherever you go. 8This Book
of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to
all that is written in it. For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened,
and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever
you go.”

10And
Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11“Pass
through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your
provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to
go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving
you to possess.’”

12And
to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua
said, 13“Remember the word that Moses the servant of the
Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a
place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14Your
wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land
that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among
you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
15until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to
you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God
is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession
and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord
gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

16And
they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do,
and wherever you send us we will go. 17Just as we obeyed
Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God
be with you, as he was with Moses! 18Whoever rebels
against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you
command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Collect

Lord
God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see
the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give
us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but
only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

1Then
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of
Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the
land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2all Naphtali, the land of
Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western
sea, 3the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of
Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4And the
Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have
let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”
5So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land
of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, 6and he buried
him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one
knows the place of his burial to this day. 7Moses was 120
years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.
8And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of
Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses
were ended.

9And
Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had
laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as
the Lord had commanded Moses. 10And there has not arisen a
prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
11none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the
Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his
servants and to all his land, 12and for all the mighty
power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight
of all Israel.

Collect

Almighty
God, grant Your unworthy servants Your grace, that in the hour of our
death the adversary may not prevail against us but that we may be
found worthy of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.

1This
is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of
Israel before his death. 2He said,

“The
Lord came from Sinai

and
dawned from Seir upon us;

he
shone forth from Mount Paran;

he
came from the ten thousands of holy ones,

with
flaming fire at his right hand.

3Yes,
he loved his people,

all
his holy ones were in his hand;

so
they followed in your steps,

receiving
direction from you,

4when
Moses commanded us a law,

as
a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

5Thus
the Lord became king in Jeshurun,

when
the heads of the people were gathered,

all
the tribes of Israel together.

6“Let
Reuben live, and not die,

but
let his men be few.”

7And
this he said of Judah:

“Hear,
O Lord, the voice of Judah,

and
bring him in to his people.

With
your hands contend for him,

and
be a help against his adversaries.”

8And
of Levi he said,

“Give
to Levi your Thummim,

and
your Urim to your godly one,

whom
you tested at Massah,

with
whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;

9who
said of his father and mother,

‘I
regard them not’;

he
disowned his brothers

and
ignored his children.

For
they observed your word

and
kept your covenant.

10They
shall teach Jacob your rules

and
Israel your law;

they
shall put incense before you

and
whole burnt offerings on your altar.

11Bless,
O Lord, his substance,

and
accept the work of his hands;

crush
the loins of his adversaries,

of
those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

12Of
Benjamin he said,

“The
beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.

The
High God surrounds him all day long,

and
dwells between his shoulders.”

13And
of Joseph he said,

“Blessed
by the Lord be his land,

with
the choicest gifts of heaven above,

and
of the deep that crouches beneath,

14with
the choicest fruits of the sun

and
the rich yield of the months,

15with
the finest produce of the ancient mountains

and
the abundance of the everlasting hills,

16with
the best gifts of the earth and its fullness

and
the favor of him who dwells in the bush.

May
these rest on the head of Joseph,

on
the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.

17A
firstborn bull—he has majesty,

and
his horns are the horns of a wild ox;

with
them he shall gore the peoples,

all
of them, to the ends of the earth;

they
are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

and
they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18And
of Zebulun he said,

“Rejoice,
Zebulun, in your going out,

and
Issachar, in your tents.

19They
shall call peoples to their mountain;

there
they offer right sacrifices;

for
they draw from the abundance of the seas

and
the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20And
of Gad he said,

“Blessed
be he who enlarges Gad!

Gad
crouches like a lion;

he
tears off arm and scalp.

21He
chose the best of the land for himself,

for
there a commander’s portion was reserved;

and
he came with the heads of the people,

with
Israel he executed the justice of the Lord,

and
his judgments for Israel.”

22And
of Dan he said,

“Dan
is a lion’s cub

that
leaps from Bashan.”

23And
of Naphtali he said,

“O
Naphtali, sated with favor,

and
full of the blessing of the Lord,

possess
the lake and the south.”

24And
of Asher he said,

“Most
blessed of sons be Asher;

let
him be the favorite of his brothers,

and
let him dip his foot in oil.

25Your
bars shall be iron and bronze,

and
as your days, so shall your strength be.

26“There
is none like God, O Jeshurun,

who
rides through the heavens to your help,

through
the skies in his majesty.

27The
eternal God is your dwelling place,

and
underneath are the everlasting arms.

And
he thrust out the enemy before you

and
said, Destroy.

28So
Israel lived in safety,

Jacob
lived alone,

in
a land of grain and wine,

whose
heavens drop down dew.

29Happy
are you, O Israel! Who is like you,

a
people saved by the Lord,

the
shield of your help,

and
the sword of your triumph!

Your
enemies shall come fawning to you,

and
you shall tread upon their backs.”

Collect

Merciful
and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered
Him up for us all that He might bear our sins on the cross. Grant
that our eyes may ever behold our Savior and His cross, that we may
not fear the power of any adversaries but rather rejoice in His
victory for us; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

765 God
Moves in a Mysterious Way
LSB 765

1 God
moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;He plants
His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.

2 Judge
not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His
grace;Behind a frowning providence Faith sees a smiling
face.

3 His
purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding ev’ry hour;The bud
may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r.

4 Blind
unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain;God is
His own interpreter, And He will make it plain

5 You
fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much
dreadAre big with mercy and will break In blessings on
your head.

Public
domain

Apostles'
Creed

C I
believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker
of heaven and earth.

And
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born
of the virgin Mary,

suffered
under Pontius Pilate,

was
crucified, died and was buried.

He
descended into hell.

The
third day He rose again from the dead.

He
ascended into heaven

and
sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From
thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I
believe in the Holy Spirit,

the
holy Christian Church,

the
communion of saints,

the
forgiveness of sins,

the
resurrection of the body,

and
the life T everlasting.
Amen.

Lord's
Prayer

C Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.

44Moses
came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the
people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. 45And when Moses had
finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46he said
to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you
today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be
careful to do all the words of this law. 47For it is no
empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall
live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

48That
very day the Lord spoke to Moses, 49“Go up this mountain
of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite
Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people
of Israel for a possession. 50And die on the mountain
which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your
brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51because
you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the
waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you
did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. 52For
you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into
the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

Collect

O
God, the exaltation of the humble and the strength of the righteous,
You taught Your people through Your holy servant Moses to sing Your
sacred songs and delivered to them the Law that still directs us.
Display in all nations the fullness of Your power that, as You blot
out all sins through Your forgiveness, terror may turn to joy and
fear of punishment may be transformed into the hope of salvation;
through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

414 'Tis
Good, Lord, to Be Here

Public
domain

Apostles'
Creed

C I
believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker
of heaven and earth.

And
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born
of the virgin Mary,

suffered
under Pontius Pilate,

was
crucified, died and was buried.

He
descended into hell.

The
third day He rose again from the dead.

He
ascended into heaven

and
sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From
thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I
believe in the Holy Spirit,

the
holy Christian Church,

the
communion of saints,

the
forgiveness of sins,

the
resurrection of the body,

and
the life T everlasting.
Amen.

Lord's
Prayer

C Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.